protect yourself from the propoganda of fear

Fearful people are more dependent, more easily manipulated and controlled, more susceptible to deceptively simple, strong, tough measures and hard-line postures . . . they may accept and even welcome repression if it promises to relieve their insecurities.�

--- George Gerbner (Former Dean of the Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Pennsylvania)

Here are a few steps people might take to liberate themselves from fear and propaganda:

1. Turn off the television!
Never forget this simple principle: The more television one watches, the more dangerous the world will seem to be. The author of the quote at the top of this article taught at the University of Pennsylvanias Annenberg School of Communications for more than 30 years, and he believed that fearful people may even be lured to television precisely on account of their fear.

Frightening images of house break-ins, car-jackings, murders, rapes, terrorists, viruses, natural disasters, and all manner of hysteria-producing hobgoblins have a seductive power to keep people watching and to keep people afraid, even paranoid.

I remember when Fox launched its network with programs with titles like When Good Dogs Go Bad and When Animals Attack.

Now they've refined their fair and balanced programs to feature human animals attacking, from Bill O�Reilly, to Chris Matthews to the steady stream of screamers who do not really engage in discussion or debate, but simply shout at one another and call each other names. Turn it off.

There are other ways of keeping informed and the medium, to quote Marshall McLuhan, really is the message. In contrast to television, which McLuhan termed a hot medium, reading engages a different part of oneself, allowing critical thinking and analytic reasoning.

We all know that a picture is worth a thousand words, but that is exactly why images are able to continue to scare us, long after the initial impression has been made. Turn off the television and pick up a book, such as Gavin de Becker's Fear Less or Ropeik and Gray's book Risk: A Practical Guide for Determining What's Really Safe and What's Really Dangerous in the World Around You.

Radio, too, supplies news and analysis without the frightening images. Listen to National Public Radio, Pacifica (especially Democracy Now) and the BBC and the CBC online or on the radio.

2. Once one has taken this giant step, one may want to continue reading by digging into American history. I do not have in mind here the typical, sanitized history of the indoctrinating textbooks that present America as the shining city on a hill and its people as perpetually honorable innocents.

I recommend instead some alternative histories that examine the underbelly of both our remote and recent past. I would recommend beginning with three books: WWII pilot and longtime Boston University professor, Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States; then go on to William S. Greider's Who Will Tell the People?; and finally, read M.I.T. professor Noam Chomsky's Hegemony or Survival?.

It may be interesting to explore a particular question, such as: How does a country's rulers mobilize people (over and over again) to lay down their lives for some cause or other, while the rich and powerful are asked to make little or no sacrifice at all. Heck, George W. Bush started a war in Iraq and then pushed through not one but two sets of tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. Such tax cuts when the country is at war (as he loves to say) is unprecedented in U.S. history.

Indeed, one may come to learn that this same rich and powerful elite are making huge profits while poor, average people are dying in droves. Think for a moment about the corporate mission of a Lockheed-Martin or any other manufacturer of weapons and weapons systems: Is it not clear that they make money on other people's deaths? And is it not such powerful lobbies for the largest arms sellers in the world (the United States) who promote policies that would keep the country in perpetual war precisely because it is so good for their business?

3. Take a course in self-defense.
I'm not talking about physical self-defense; I'm talking about intellectual self-defense, a self-defense course for the mind!

Intellectual self-defense involves learning to think critically, to keep your eyes and ears open, and to flush those eyes and ears with a healthy dose of skepticism. If 100% or nearly 100% of media outlets are parroting the same line, saying the same thing about any issue, it is well to remember that even a small group of friends is likely to experience some disagreement on just about any issue, so why are all the pundits saying the same thing? Chances are, what you're hearing is propaganda and spin.

4. Look beneath the surface.
Try to evaluate claims that people make.

Learn to distinguish an assertion from an argument,

a claim from proof,

and learn to identify logical fallacies in what people say; then ask,

1.Who benefits and who may be harmed?
2. Dig into the matter and look for a reason, a warrant, a justification, and if you can't find a convincing one, be skeptical. Don't believe everything you hear. It will take much longer to be worn down by the constant repetition of the spin-meisters half-truths and outright falsehoods once one has turned off the television and cultivated a healthy skepticism.

Most people are simply too trusting, and this stems from two main deficiencies: not knowing history (as Howard Zinn has recently argued) and failing to think critically or to be doggedly skeptical. (I note with great disappointment that neither of these qualities are possessed by the mainstream media in the U.S. today, as Tom Engelhardt has shown convincingly.)

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0323-32.htm

People need to know what's going on or else they will perish.

well they will only get half truths from most 'commentators'

knowing whats going on requires LOGICAL application and scrutiny of several sources,,,

you should read about all the executive orders barry has made just this year alone, and see you can tell what he is up to... i can provide you a link if you wish...

msharmony is correct. What the US needs is an educated electorate, not meaningless allegations by people who don't even have the respect to refer to our President by his name.

Which one? He has gone by so many!

liberals are all the same, blind sheep that blindly follow... i take it you have no urge to find out what barry is up to?...

I'm no blind sheep. I gradated from Indiana Universtity with honors and high distinction and an overall GPA of 3.83. I'm intelligent and well-educatged.

im no opponent of reading factual information,,,go for it,,,

you should take it that we may not keep the same online schedules which may result in some responses taking much longer than others,,

nm,, found it myself

2012 14 EOs signed
http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/executive-orders/obama.html

establish visa goals
assigning functions to armed force functions and promotions
blocking iranian properties and interests in america
establishing global development counsel
establishing interagency trade enforcement center
establishing a counsel on strong cities and communities
national defense resource preparedness
improving federal permit performance
supporting safe and effective development of natural gas
blocking us entry of human rights offenders
establishing principles of excellence for educational institutions serving service members and their families
prohibiting us entry of foreign sanctions evaders
promoting international regulatory cooperation
identifying and reducing regularoty burdens



pretty much the usual administrative stuff,, only thing close to controversial or 'scary' is the one that mentions national defense (for obvious reasons)

that means nothing if your not paying attention...just saying

i highlighted the ones that bother me the most... i don't think that list is complete, i'll check on that...

I have to say that there are quite a few who do that.

For the record I have used derogatory terms for George Bush and Dick Cheney in the past. I apologize for that.

All People should respect others by using their proper names.

"educatged"?

Whatever....but even the most "educatged" among us can be misinformed, lied to, and deceived.... or do you also consider yourself better than everyone else?

If you believe the common lie.....

"Nobody saw the 2008 economic crash coming. Nobody could have predicted it!" (while economists and the "looney" Dr Paul saw and warned 6 years or more in advance!)

"Who would have thought they would use planes to fly into buildings?" (while the very day it happened they were practicing that scenario...?)

"Sadam is amassing stockpiles of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons and is a threat to America and the people of that country!" (well....guess 1/3 right is not all wrong....just mostly wrong!)

While these ALL played out, many laughed, many denied and dismissed, some of the most educated were deceived, misinformed, misguided and involved.

Education is not logic, it is programing to a set of beliefs, formative learning, not informative, but training to doctrine. Logic and reason are NOT inherent to those teachings.

Logic and reason come from experience, application, inquisitiveness, and research. Innovation creates a path to understanding....NOT education!

Education is a tool.....useless when not used to promote, dangerous when used to deceive!

Two of my Favourite People in there.

Howard Zinn R.I.P

Noam Chomskey


Potentially a very good thread msharmoney


Got rid of my Television Three Years ago


Very Rarely if ever does one get to see the likes of Chomsky-Zinn or Greider on mainstream Television or Press for that matter.

Respect is something that should be earned.

McLuhan classified TV as cool, not hot.

barry is his name...